“Reading and writing are acts of empathy and faith. Guard that trust carefully — in this rapidly changing business, it’s the only sure thing.” ~Erin Keane

"Never give up. And most importantly, be true to yourself. Write from your heart, in your own voice, and about what you believe in." ~ Louise Brown

"Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it." ~Jesse Stuart

"A writer's job is to take one thing and make it stand for twenty." ~ Virginia Woolf

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Getting Back the Mojo

Today is the first Wednesday of the month when we writers are feeling particularly insecure, thanks to Alex Cavanaugh hehe. This year has been a crazy one for me, and I learned a basic truth-- that insecurities come and they go. And they change. They morph. Best way is to just work through it and keep on truckin'!

Insecure Wednesday is the ideal time for this guest post by Debra Harris Johnson on getting back the Mojo:

After the big April blog fest (yes the A-Z), I lost my MOJO.
I don't know how these things happen. You love seafood all your life then one
day you lose your taste for it. Same unknown negative vibe steals your passion
for writing. For months I couldn’t think of a thing to write about.

It has been my experience when nothing comes
to mind, let it. Silence usually is the brain’s way of giving consent for new
ideas to blossom. A brain fog lasting more than a few months mean it’s time to
find some creative way to get that MOJO back. After all we are writers. How did
I get my MOJO back? I pushed myself to a writer's meeting. Yep, that’s all it
took.

Lesson learned. Surround yourself with positive people that
share your particular passion and that are willing to give encouragement.Blam, zap, bling....you are on the road
again. Want romance, find people that still believe in it. Want to knit...visit
a yarn shop. Want to get into swimming, duh....go to a pool, someone will help
you to swim. Same goes for writing. Book stores, blogs, even the local library
are all great places to get your MOJO going.

The need for fulfillment drives us to keep changing and
re-inventing ourselves. One of the things I love about writing is that it
allows me to change hats by providing a buffet of different opportunities. A
poem can turn into a short story just by thinking a little deeper. That short
story can lead to a novel that eventually becomes a play. I use my writing to
expressall of my dimensions without
locking myself into a corner with a particular style of writing. I am a
blogger, author of short stories and a freelance writer of articles.

My writing has taken
me from hovering over a keyboard to standing behind a podium speaking on the
topics I write about. No sooner then I get settled into selling my articles an
idea of a new writing concept takes hold of me. Yes, your friend Debra is about
to embark on a new adventure that will combine my writing, speaking, knowledge
of farming with my passion for food and.........not so fast.

Remember the first lesson you learn in writing is to show
don't tell. Visit my blog at http://debraharrisjohnson.blogspot.com/
for further hints of my transformation. What
new and different road has your writing led you to? If the answer is nowhere
then it is time to combine other passions you have with your writing.

Never miss an opportunity to explore and examine your
surroundings. It will deepen your writing. Listen as nature, emotions and
situations whisper in your ear. Your writing will always find fresh
perspectives. Dance to the music that is meant to be heard by no one but you. Your
writing will be authenticated by your personal style.May your writing muse always shake you awake
when your mind goes blank and your passion wanes.

18 comments:

I am in a funny place with my writing at the moment. Mainly because I am busy promoting The Englishman and planning to publish two other novels before Christmas, there just doesn't seem to be any time to start a new novel. But I am missing the process and must soon get down to a new story. For me not writing is like not being free - it's as if I'm not allowed to speak all of a sudden. I also feel desperately that I want to write full time, which I don't yet do. But this is such scary step to stop 'working' and writing full time...

Thanks for your thoughts. It is so true that we need to ride out the emotional ups and downs that come with the business of writing. I love writing workshops and meetings for getting my writing brain in gear again!

LOve this post. My muse gently shakes me every morning. When I go to sleep, I can't wait to wake up and write. And re nature. Now that I'm in a part of the world I love (Akumal,Mexico), I appreciate nature more...like the rain this morning. The sound and smell intoxicate me. Who needs tequila?

Very inspirational post! I did A-Z year before last and experienced a similar 'come down'. I am not a prolific blogger in the sense of churning out lots of content, and I think I used up a year's worth of blog energy that April! :-D

Love your thoughts about surrounding yourself with positive people who want good things for you. Couldn't agree more.

I am so grateful to Karen for the opportunity to share some thoughts,meet new people and say hello to my dear bloggie friends like, Old Kitty and Alex.I will be visiting everyone that makes a comment. It's a great way to be inspired!

It was good to see you back on the scene, Debra. Sometimes we need the break and sometimes it's an excuse that is a reflection of something else in our life. I've been experiencing that threat of late. Fortunately, my blog and the blogging community keeps me centered to some extent.

I like the way you've described your experience and made it applicable for all of us.

How right you are Debra. There are time de-compression in a supportive setting is what's needed.It also seems to me that the blogging challenge (fest) sucked the writerly energy out of you. I know myself and it would have depleted me, so I wouldn't take it on.

Arlee I was thinking about you when I wrote this post, after you got the blahs I realized how universal this is and I wanted to let other writers know we All go through this. Thanks for all your support, you are much loved and respected in the blogging world.

Please stay and make yourself at home. I made cookies.

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